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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Weight

I'm not sure what's going on with the Interwebs, but "The Weight" by The Band is everywhere today. On the music breeze today was the Win Butler (Arcade Fire)/ Mavis Staples (of The Staples Singers) cover of "The Weight" this weekend at Outside Lands in SF. Rightly so, check it out HERE.

Perhaps I should look into the deeper meaning of "The Weight" being suddenly ubiquitous today in case the universe is trying to tell me something. Or, perhaps the music gods are just reminding of this amazing song, as evidenced by all the great covers I stumbled upon today (and I love a good cover). Check out this list from Cover Me Songs

Diana Ross & The Supremes with The Temptations
The Gaslight Anthem
Panic! At the Disco
Elvis Costello & The Impostors
Travis
Jack White, Jimmy Page and The Edge

You may notice when you view the list that Cover Me Songs gave the version from "It Might Get Loud" with The Edge, Jack White, and Jimmy Page an honorable mention and I will have to respectfully disagree. I was also a little surprised by the Travis version- I had never heard it before and for some reason expected it to be a little more 'bringin it home'; but as I listened I was reminded that this type of vibe is what Travis does best, giving "The Weight" a different feel completely.

Named #46 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, "The Weight" spawned some other great covers:

Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers

And this soulful version by Aretha:

Here's a great version with Levon Helm from The Band and The Black Crowes: